The birthday flashback today is the circus celebration we had for our son who was turning 6 a few years ago.

He chose an elephant cake which I made from two 8-inch round cakes and an ice cream cone. The first cake was the face of the elephant, and the second cake, cut in half, became the ears. I turned the ice cream cone upside down and frosted it the same gray color to be the trunk.

My son chose to dress as a clown, complete with wig , white face paint, and red squeaky nose. Our oldest son was the birthday party opening act. He wowed the young audience with a few simple magic tricks. I mastered (not really) the art of making balloon animals. Really, all I could make, no matter how I tried to do something else, was the standard balloon dog. In the name of love, I spent a VERY long time making enough balloon dogs for each friend to take one home. What I learned was balloon animals are not in my skill set.

Decorating for a circus celebration was straightforward. The living room and kitchen were decked out with streamers across the ceiling and balloon bouquets everywhere. What 6-year-old doesn’t love balloons resting on every fixed surface? Doorways had streamers hanging from the top of the door to the floor acting as curtains into rooms.

Circus Celebration Games

Hoop of Fire — I took a hula hoop and tied red yarn in long strands around the entire hoop. The guests took turns throwing a stuffed lion through the “fire.”

Peanut Drop — Each guest took a turn standing over a jar and dropping Circus Peanuts into the jar from above.

Basketball Shoot — I secured an indoor basketball hoop to a door and guests took turns shooting baskets.

Bowling — This game was just basic midway bowling.

Can Throw — Guests took balls and knocked down empty soup cans that I decorated with circus-themed scrapbook paper.

The circus celebration was not expensive to put together, and the games were perfect for the age of the party-goers.

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Once upon a time, I earned a journalism degree and had a short career working for a newspaper. Then I married and decided my career would be raising our children. That’s where the story about me really begins...